Ignition flare



H. W. BIXBY IGNITION FLARE June 26, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 50, 1952 H. W. BIXBY IGNITION FLARE June 26, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 50, 1952 INVENTOR ATTORNEY HAROLD W. BIXBY United States Patent IGNITION FLARE Harold W. Bixby, Encino, Calif., assigner to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Application June 30, 1952, Serial No. 296,334

11 Claims. (Cl. 102-49) This invention relates generally to aerial missiles of the ramjet type, and more particularly it pertains to a flare holder assemblage or are holder means for holding a composition that burns actively even in the absence of an external supply of air or oxygen, and which serves to maintain combustion of the air-fuel mixture of the ramjet missile or the like, by acting as a pilot It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a are holder assemblage which will stabilize combustion in a high velocity airstream of an operating missile of the ramjet type.'

Another object of the invention is to provide a are holder assemblage for holding such flare in an aerial missile of the Vramjet or similar jet-propelled device.

Even another object of this invention is to provide a generally cylindrical container to receive and hold a are cartridge in proper operating position in order to maintain the ignition of the ramjet of the aerial missile, with the container being of suitable size and shape to lit within the body of the aerial missile, and also having supports of proper conguration to minimize the aero-dynamic drag effects, while maintaining proper operation of the ramjet.

It is still even another object of this invention to provide a are holder assemblage for stabilizing combustion of a supersonic airstream by making maximum use of the back pressure in the ramjet.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a are holder assemblage which is economical to manufacture, easy to install in a ramj'et missile and reliable and eicient in operation.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, and in which:

Fig. 1 is an axial section taken through an aerial missile of the ramjet type, showing the are holder assemblage mounted in position and embodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

In accordance with the invention, an aerial missile of n the ramjet type or the like is provided with a are holder assemblage or means for holding an ignition iiare therein. This assemblage comprises a cylindrical body portion having a cylindrical bore to receive a ilare. A plurality of threaded holes are provided near the forward end of the bore to receive cone-point set screws whose sharppointed inner ends are adapted to enter the pasteboard flare case to hold the are firmly in operating position. A frustoconical rear section, small enough at its rear end to t Within the ramjet missile, is secured to the cylindrical body member of the assemblage by a plurality of radially arranged struts having rounded front edges inclined at an angle, and wedge-shaped rear portions to present a streamlined contour. At ,the front or forward end of the cylinder, within the body, there is secured a fr.ice

fitting which has a threaded, reduced forward end adapted to receive an internally threaded ring, which, when screwed into position, provides a continuation of the outer surface of the main cylindrical body. A plug, having a rounded forward end and a threaded, reducedrearward extension, is adapted to enter the threaded ring, which, when fully engaged, forms an outer surface continuation of that of the ring. In addition to the above, radial struts are secured to the outer surface of the ring, and are surrounded at their outer ends by a ring which is adapted to be clamped firmly between the forward section of the ramjet missile and the tail pipe section of the ramjet missile, thereby supporting the holder with its are within the tail pipe section of the ramjet missile.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. l, a portion of the outer skin 15 of an aerial missile 16 of the ramjet type. Missile 16 has a forward section 17 including a diffuser (not shown), and a tailpipe section 18 which are supported by bulkheads or strut members (not shown) within the missile.

A flare holder assemblage or are holder means 19 comprising the invention, is mounted between forward section 17 and tailpipe section 18. The body of the flare holder assemblage 19 comprises a substantially cylindrical member 26 having a cylindrical bore 21 of proper length and diameter to receive a llare 22 (shown in phantom lines). This body member 20 may be made of any suitable material, such as steel, Duralumin and the like, and, of course, its wall thickness will vary slightly with the material used. Y

A plurality of threaded holes 23 are provided irl member 20 near the front or forward end 24 thereof. These threaded holes 23 receive cone-point socket-head set screws 34 such as those of the Allen type. It will be understood that the flare 22 has a covering of pasteboard 35 or similar material, and when it is inserted in the bore 21, the set screws 34 are screwed down so that their sharppointed inner ends 36 will enter this pasteboard flare case 3S and hold the are 22 rmly in position.

A frusto-conical rear section 38 is provided, which is small enough at its rear end 39 to tit within the tailpipe section 1S. Section 38 may be flared an inch or so in inside diameter from front to rear, and may be about four inches, more or less, in length, when used in a sixinch ramjet missile, although it is to be understood that the actual dimensions may be varied widely, to suit specific cases.

This frusto-conical rear section 38 is secured to the cylindrical body member 20 by a suitable number of radially arranged struts 40, four being indicated here. These struts 40 have rounded front edges 47, inclined at a suitable angle as shown, and wedge-shaped rear portions 48, so that their horizontal contours may be broadly described as streamlined It will be noted that the struts 40 are secured to the body member 20 by welds 49 and to the rear section 38 by other welds 50, the interior of the rear section 38 being completely unobstructed and smooth. v

At the forward end 24 of member 20, there is provided a tting 51 which is shaped as shown, and is secured within member 2G by welds at 52. For lightness, fitting 52 may be hollow. lts reduced forward end 53 has threads 54 thereon, fitting in the correspondingly threaded ring 55, which, when in position, will provide a continuation of the outer surface 56 of member 20 as shown in Fig. 1.

A plug 57, having a rounded forward end 58, andrhollowed as shown at 59, also has a reduced rearward extension 60 threaded at 61 to enter the ring 55.Y When fully engaged, the outer surface 62 of plug 57 will form a continuation of that ofring 55. E

Radial struts 63 are secured to the outer surface 64'of ring 55,.'as by welds 66; These struts 63 preferably are equal in number Ito the struts 4G and are Vin-line with the latter in order to minimize A,the aerodynamic drag. Struts 63 should preferably have rounded front edges 67 and lwedge-shaped trailing'ends68, like the struts 40.

" A ringf74 surrounds -the outerends of struts'6i3', the

vstr'utsbing secured to V,the ring -by welds 755 as showri in 7Fig.,l. It will be noted that all the struts, of1both sets, are i of such lengths -that they will just lfit'in the tailpipe 1S of the ramjet missile, here assumed to-be 6 inches.A

"Thereis a'diiferencehowever, in-how the struts 63V Vand f4() are mounted in-the missile. Struts 63 are held firmly bythe `ring 74, Which-is clamped between the forward Vsectionl Vofthe ramjet missile 16 and the tailpipe sec,-

tion '18,andthus'are rigid withthe ramjet, while struts 40 merely abut against-theinner surface of the tailpipe section 1^7, and thus-hold the rear section -38 centered. `fl`his rnakes it possiblefortheassembly to expand'pand gcontract independentlyof the ramjet missile 16, thereby Vpreventing strain and warping ofl'any of the parts, under theV intense'heat of combustion. f 'Y .Y

It'hasbeen vfound that slight changes-in the Vrelative shapes and dimensions of variousparts oftheassemblage 19 have pronounced effects ontthe operationofthe ramjet missile 16, so that flare Vholding 'assemblage 19 whichV lis found best for one specific fuel is not necessarily best alsofor anotherifuel mixture. For example, while. hepjtaneand kerosene may be burned efficiently with the same type'of'are holder assemblage, changes are necessary if propylene oxide isto be used as-fuell However, the general Vstructure and proportions will notV deviate Yunduly from the design illustrated, which may be considered a diagrammatic disclosure of an average type. Y

Having described the invention, its'operation will now be briefly described. Y 'An aerial missile 16 of the ramjet type or rthe like is launched from a launching platform by means of -a boosterrocket (not shown).V After the booster rocket has spent -itspowen it separates from aerial missile'l and drops tofthejealth,v with missile 16 continuing along its trajectoryafter the combustion Ysystem of the rlamjet has been set into operation. This is achieved byvtheflare 22 s Vbeing ignited in anysuitable manner, such as by remote control.y The flame from the burning ofthe composition of are'22 extends rearwardly lthrough the rear section p38'of Vthe'are holder assembly and Aignites the air-fuel vmixturewhichV is, in the'r'neantime, flowing throughthe ramjet, andmaintainsthe 'air-fuel mixture infan ignited `condition throughout the course of flight of missile `16.

' Obviously many modifications and variationsv of the present invention are possible in light, of the above teachings. VItisytherefore, to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be pracfticed otherwise'l than as specifically described.

`What is claimedris:

l; In combination with an aerial missile of the ramjet v type having forward diffuser section'and a tailpipe secition, a flareholder assemblage forrholdingY an ignition .iiare'in the combustionchamber of said tailpipe section, Ycomprising,ra body having a'portionthereof with a bore for receiving saidiiare, means for holding said flare in positioninrsaidbore, means secured to the rear portion of said body for freely supporting said body against said tailpipe, means located between'said diffuser andtailpipe sectionsLand meanssecured to the forward portion'of said body and` to said last mentioned means for rigidly vsupporting saidy body, thereby makingit'possible for said assemblage to expand and contract independently/of said aerial missile and thus preventing straining and warpage of parts under the intense heat during v'combustion of the air-fuel mixture. Y

2. In/combinationwith an aeriallmissile of Vthe ramjet type having a forward diffuser section and atailpipeY section, a flare holder assemblage for holdinganignition tigre 'in the. combusti@V Chamber Qof Said,` taiIPBeSEQtOD,

' comprising, a streamlined body having a portion thereof ing and warpage ofpartsunder the intense `heat during combustion'of' the ai'rfuely mixturefin'said combustion Y.

chamber. Y

3. In combination with an aerial missile of the Vrarnjet type having a forward diffuser section and a tailpipefsection, a flare holder assemblage for holding an ignition rvflare in the combustion chamber of said vtailpipe section, comprising, a streamlined 'bodyh'aving a portion thereof with a bore for 'receivingsaid"liare,-me`ans for holding said flare inA positionin said bore, strut means secured to Y Y the rear portion of said'bo'dy"'for'freelysupporting said Dbody'against said tailpipe, means cooperating with said rear strut means for shielding the flame 'from said flare during combustion, a ring securedbetweenrsaid.diffuser section rand said tailpipe section,"an'd strut means secured tothe forward portion of said'bod'yand to said ring for rigidly supporting said body, thereby making it possible vfor said assernblage'-to expand and contract Vindependently of said aerial missile andthus preventing straining and warpageI of parts under4 the'knte'iiseheatV during combustion ofL the air-fuel mixture.

4. An arrangement as :set forth in claim 3, .wherein said y strut means at the forward and rear portions of said body ycomprise a plurality of radially arranged struts having rounded forwarde'dg'es and'wedge'A-shaped rear portions. V5.4 An arrangement asset forthin claim 3, wherein said means cooperating with said rear strut'means comprises a hollow frustoconical member having its forward, small end secured to said rear strut means and in axial aligrimentrwith saidbody. Y' YVfA flare'holde'r Vassemblage'for holding an' ignition flare in 'an' aerial missile vof the ramjet' type having a forward sectionvwith aV diffuser located therein and a tailpipe section, comprising, a vbodyjhaving avportion thereof with arbore for receiving saidvflare, means f or holding said are in yposition in said bore, means securedyto the rear portion of said body f or. freely sinpofrting said body againstsaid tailpipe section, meansloca'ted between said vdiffuser and tailpipe sections, and ,means 'secured tothe s forward portion ofsaid bodyand to said'last mentioned means for rigidly supporting .'said body, thereby Vmaking itV possible for said assemblage to'expand andV contract independently,v of said aerial missileV andthus preventing Y.straining and warpage Vof parts under thefintense heat during combustion'of theV air-fuelrnixture.Y

' 7. A flare `holder 'assemblage` for holding an ignition are in an aerial missile of the ramjet ,type having a for.

ward section with a diffuser located therein` and atailpipe section, comprising, a streamlined body having a portiony s thereof` with a borey for yreceiving saidvflare, lmeans for holding said flare inposition'in said, bore, streamlined meanssecuredto therear portion .of said body for freely supporting said bodyagainst saidbtailpipemeans including Y a ring located between said diffuserY andtailpipe section,

and streamlined means VsecuredV to the forwardpOrtion of said body andto said ringfor rigidly supporting said body,

thereby making it possiblefor said assemblage to expandV and contract independently .of said aerialr'nissile and thus preventing straining and warpage of parts under the in-Y Y tense heatY during combustion' of the vair-fuel mixture. t 1

" 8. An arrangement'as set forth in claim 7, wherein said 'asA rear and forwardstreamlined means" comprisea plurality l Y 5 of radially arranged strut members having rounded forward edges and wedge-shaped rear portions.

9. An arrangement as set forth in claim 8, and shielding means secured to said rear streamlined means for shielding the ame from said flare during combustion.

10. In combination with an aerial missile of the ramjet type having a diiu-ser section and a tailpipe section, a flare holder assemblage for holding an ignition are in the combustion chamber of said tailpipe section, comprising, a streamlined body having a portion thereof with a bore for receiving said flare, means secured to the rear portion of said body for freely supporting said body against said tailpipe section, and means secured to the forward portion of said body and including an annular ring located between said diffuser section and said tailpipe section for rigidly supporting said body, thereby making it possible for said assemblage to expand and contract independently of said aerial missile and thus preventing straining and Warpage of parts under the infense heat during combustion of the air-fuel mixture in said combustion chamber.

ll. A are holder assemblage for holding an ignition flare in an aerial missile of the ramjet type having a forward section and a tailpipe section, comprising, a streamline body having a portion thereof with a bore for receiving said are, means for holding said flare in position in said bore, a first plurality of radially arranged strut members having rounded forward edges and wedge-shaped rear portions secured to the rear portion of said body for freely supporting said body against said tailpipe section, a second plurality of radially arranged strutmembers having rounded forward edges and wedge-shaped rear portions secured to the forward portion of said body and also between said forward and tailpipe sections for rigidly supporting said body, and shielding means secured to said rst plurality of radially arranged strut members for shielding the flame from said flare during combustion, said shielding means including a hollow frusto-conical member having its forward, reduced end secured to said rst plurality of radially arranged strut members and in axial alinernent with said body, whereby it is possible for said assemblage to expand and contract individually of said aerial missile and thus prevent straining and warpage of parts under the intense heat generated during the combustion of the air-fuel mixture.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,419,866 Wilson Apr. 29, 1947 2,482,505 Pierce Sept. 20, 1949 2,612,722 Tenney Oct. 7, 1952 2,648,196 Mullen II et al Aug. 11, 1953 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH AN AERIAL MISSILE OF THE RAMJET TYPE HAVING A FORWARD DIFFUSER SECTION AND A TAILPIPE SECTION, A FLARE HOLDER ASSEMBLAGE FOR HOLDING AN IGNITION FLARE IN THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER OF SAID TAILPIPE SECTION, COMPRISING A BODY HAVING A PORTION THEREOF WITH A BORE FOR RECEIVING SAID FLARE, MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID FLARE IN POSITION IN SAID BORE, MEANS SECURED TO THE REAR PORTION OF SAID BODY FOR FREELY SUPPORTING SAID BODY AGAINST SAID TAILPIPE, MEANS LOCATED BETWEEN SAID DUFFUSER AND TAILPIPE SECTIONS, AND MEANS SECURED TO THE FORWARD PORTION OF SAID BODY AND TO SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS FOR RIGIDLY SUPPORT SAID BODY, THEREBY MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR SAID ASSEMBLAGE TO EXPAND AND CONTACT INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID AERIAL MISSILE AND THUS PREVENTING STRAINING AND WARPAGE OF PARTS UNDER THE INTENSE HEAT DURING COMBUSTION OF THE AIR-FUEL MIXTURE. 